Sickle bar



oct. 14,` 1930. H. P. PETZNICK 1,778,468

S ICKLE BAR Filved April 4. 1929 /6 0 20 e0 2] Sima-Mofo 4 l- ]3. Pe zn zal J Patented Oct. 14, 1930 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE,

HERMAN PAUL PETZNICK, F DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 CHARLES VANE OLDS, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA sroxLn BAR Application nled April 4, 1929.y Serial No. 352,507.

This invention relates to mowing machines and more particularly to a sickle bar having imgroved guard fingers.

ne object of the invention is to provide a sickle bar with guard fingers which are firmly secured to the sickle bar'y but may be easily released and removed from the sickle bar if theyshould become broken or a blade become broken -or need sharpening.

Another object of the invention is to allow the blades to be firmly held in place under normal conditions and prevent securing pins for the blades from dropping out of place but allowT these pins for the blades to be very easily removed when guard fingers are detached Afrom the sickle bar.

Another object of the invention is to retain the guard fingers at substantially right angles to the sickle bar and prevent them from moving transversely about removable fasteners which secure them to the sickle bar.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of guard finger to which stationary blades may be firmly secured but allowed to be'very easily removed if necessary.V

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyingY drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a sickle bar having the improved guard fingers applied thereto,

l Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional viewtaken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, y l Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken longitudinally through the cutter bar.

The sickle bar or finger bar 1 consists of a metal bar which is preferably rectangular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 2, and to this finger bar are applied guard fingers 2 which project forwardly therefrom. Each ofthe guardA fingers is formed with spaced upper andlower' portions 3 and 4 unitedfto form 'a' solid point 5 and the spaced rear ends of the/upper and lower portions form attachingarms or heads 6 and 7 from whichproj'ectf side arms 8 and 9. The forward end portion of the slot which, divides the finger into' upper and lower portions is of reduced' depth and in this forward portion of the slot is disposed a ledger plate or stationary knife 10 which rests upon the upper face of the lower portion 4 where it is firmly secured by a rivet or equivalent fastener 11 passed through registering openings 12 and 12 formed in the guard and ledger plate. An opening 13 is formed in the upper portion 3 of thel guard finger above the opening 12 so that a rivet may bey easilyset in place and headed or a rivet removed when it is necessary to remove a ledger plate and replace it. A tooth or lug 14 is provided at the forward end of the ledger plate to prevent the ,ledger plate from having transverse move-` ment when in place. f

When the guard fingers are applied to the` sickle bar or finger bar 1, the arms or heads 6 and? extend transversely of the sickle bar against its upper and. lower faces and bolts 15 are passed through the sicklebar and heads to firmly but releasably secure the guard fingers to the sickle bar. Grooves' 16 are formed longitudinally in the inner faces of the heads 6 and 7 and constitute seats which open through thefrear ends of these heads and are adapted to receive the upper and lower end portions of pins 17 which pass vertically through the sickle bar, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and constitute abutments to engage in the grooves in front of and to the rear of the bolt 15. By this arrangement the guard fingers will be prevented from turning about the securing bolts and moving transversely out of their proper positions at right angles to the sickle bar. Since the grooves 16 open through the rear ends of the heads, the protruding ends of the pins may easily slide into the grooves when the guard fingers are applied to the sickle bar.

When the guard fingers are applied to the sickle bar, the side arms 8 and v9 are disposed in front of the sickle baras shown invFig. 1, and these arms bear against the upper and lower faces of a cutter bar 18 which is slidable longitudinally of the finger bar and passes through the guard fingers, as shown in Fig. 2. Referring to Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, it will be seen that the cutter bar is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 19 which the'V if'cutte'rb ariand z Contact with the? .side arni 1 of adjoining fingers the ends 'offy the pi'nsiw'ill'" be covered and there will be no danger of theseA pins accidentally moving out and releasing the knives .c

When the improved sicklebar is the cutterr-.barrlis reciprocated longitudinally fin orY grain will. be cut by the action oft the sta.-

Vtionaryfl and.y movable blades. If, for.. any reason it .is necessary to removeone orfmore ofthesblades 20,so Ythat they may be sharp.-

, cned-for repaired, or new Yonessubstituted, the

mlA

moving the bolts liand the guard plates vcan be .drawn :forwardly outrof engagement with thefinger bar. .When the. .guard lingers are detached from. the fingerfbar, the pins 2llcang-V be withdrawn and .the blades vwill ybe released. f f

Ifit'i'sfound that a ledgerplate.needsto be removed, a-Y punch is passed inwardly through the openinglto drive .the rivetout yof :place and the ledger-plate-willbereleased and permitt'ed tofbe ,detachedfrom the guard finger carryingrthe same., Iv have,l ftherefore.pro, videdia siclrlebar, including guard `fingers which may be firmly'but releasably i secured Y.

tol a fingerfbanA and, yalso providedmovable j knives which are detachablylsecured to a cutsV c ter ,barffbygremovable ffasteners retained. in.

placebytheguard fingers- Having ,fhu's described ythe invention, 1 I

claim:AV y .1, Y 1. 1A finger ba'r, .guard fingersprojecting y forwardly' from. said .barv andhavingrear armsexte'ndingltransverselyiof the finger bar above andbelow ther same, said armsliaving longitudinally extending. seats .formed therein'7 removable. fasteners v. passed through the Y arms andafingerbafr,stops projecting. from upper and lower surfaces. of the, finger bar.v

verselmovement of` the ngers, av cutter3 bar.

movable throughfhe fingers longitudinally vof the finger ban,.-andbladescarried by saidicuttercbar, f

A2. Af finger. '.b'ar, Y

said.. amr-Is having; .their innert lfaces. --formed with-i rlongitudinally.extendingf Vseats .openingy through ftheir' rear ends,i removable fasten-Y ers fpassedi through j theiarms andnfinger.s har,j stopsvprojectingifromihengerharfinspacedarmsextending transver'sel-yYofthe finger-"wharf, saidarms'having-their inner faces formed of place' with longitudinally extending seats opening 4through their rear ends, removable fasteners passed throughgthe arms and finger bar, pins passed through the finger bar with their ends projecting aboveand belowy l theffinger'bar in the v'usual (mannen and., the movableg'flinives c or. ,blad'es' 20. pass transversely-through the guard fingers 'in the'usualmannersothatlhayi -f front of and ,rearwardly from theffastene'rs and having their projecting ends engagedin." said seats to prevent movementjof. the fingers 'Y about Ithefasteners, acutter bar slidableg85 through the .fingers in front-ofjsaid fingerbar, and knives carried byV said cutter/bar and having movement through the fingers when n the cutter bar .isc-moved. v guard fingers a lmay .be easily'. releasedA lby re- S- 4. A finger har,guard fingers removably gn secured tosaid bar andprojectingfforwardly therefrom, each Vfinger having z a longitudi-,-

1. nally` extending passage definingK upper" and-A lowerrportions integrallyunitedat their 1forward endsfledger. plates resti-ng.uponlthe up-gs f per faces of the lower portions ofl saidfillgers,

fasteners passed vthrough saidledger.- plates fto secure the ledgerplates tothe'j-lowerportions.i of the fingers, the uppers portions of` the ,-.fingersf having opening-sf formedy therein c above inc the fasteners toffacilitate .Y insertion and re,- moval of. the fasteners; a cutter barsslidable through the'fingers ,longitudinallypf the fin--y ger-bar, and bladesfcarried fbysaidscu-tten .barAIT andv movable. ,through the :passages Ainfthe 105 guard fingers across the ledger platesrwvhen; the .cutter bar istslid longitudinally. n

5. A finger bar, guardl lfingers AremovablysecuredY tosaid barand projecting forwardly therefromy each finger shavingaa .longitudi--. 110 nally extending passage havingitsrearpors tionz'of increased jdepth, a cutter bar.- slidable through the rear portion-:of-.thepassageand bearing. against the -front face-of .thefifinger bar, ledger plates. in sa-idfpajssagesof. saiddl fingers in Yfrontof. saidy cutter.. bar, V fasteners passed throughthe1ledger plates .tol securev thegsamerfto lthe lowerportions of they fingers, theupperportions of they yfingersbeing inte. grally l.,unitedlwtdthe .lower portions, thereof 120 and having openings formed vvertically there# f through for accessto the fasteners, and blades l guardfingers proj ecting; forwardly` from -;-,sa id,. barandhavin'gi :rearv arms; eX-tendingtransversely of the finger-hanf carried by saidafcutter i fbar-ijandf4 movable throughthe passages `across the ledger` plates,

.when the lcutterfbani-s .moved-longitudinally.= 195 bar is in place, blades carried by said cutter bar and movable therewith through said fingers, and removable fasteners releasably securing said blades to said cutter bar and held in place by the guard lingers.

7. A finger bar, guard fingers carried by said bar and projecting forwardly therefrom,

a Cutter bar extending through said lingers transversely thereof, said lingers being removable from the finger bar while the cutter bar isin place, blades carried by said cutter bar and movable therewith through said ingers, and securing pins for the blades passed vertically through the cutter bar and rear end portions of the blades, portions of the guard fingers covering the ends of said pins to retain the pins in place.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HERMAN PAUL PETZNIGK. [La] 

